For nearly as long as there have been computers, there has been a need to exchange information between computers. One method for accomplishing this has been through the use of data communication networks. Data communication networks have been provided in a wide variety of different forms, for a variety of different purposes. For example, a corporation might employ a local-area network (LAN) to permit a number of computers at a particular site to exchange and/or share data. Each computer is provided with a LAN interface and communicates with the other computers over the LAN. LANs can be either wired or wireless. Some examples of LANs in common use today are token-ring networks, Ethernet networks, and spread-spectrum radio networks.
By way of further example, if the same corporation wished to link more widely separated computers or to cross-connect several LANs, a wide-area-network (WAN) might be employed. WAN's can also be wired or wireless, employing such diverse communication media as leased telephone lines, dedicated cable, satellite channels, microwave communications, and fiber-optics.
In recent years, other commercially-provided data communication network options have become available. On-line services provide dial-up communications with such commercial networks. Service providers charge a fee for the use of these commercial networks, for providing database services, for enabling access to other networks, and for providing communications between users of the networks. Electronic mail (E-Mail) facilities are often provided whereby a user of a data communications network can post a message for another user to be picked up at a later time. Compuserve.TM., Delphi.TM., America Online.TM., Prodigy.TM., and Genie.TM. are examples of such on-line service providers. Generally, the on-line services are accessed by using a modem to connect to the service provider over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The PSTN is a network, too, but unlike the data communication networks the PSTN is designed primarily to support voice communication.
Some manufacturers have integrated data communication features and voice communications into a more familiar telephone-like device. These devices, which are gradually coming into use, are commonly known as "screen phones", and can be distinguished from conventional telephones by the presence of various distinguishing features such as a display screen, non-telephone function buttons, an integrated modem, enhanced calling capabilities, and a variety of others. Currently, screen phones are sold as part of a screen phone system which includes a central computer and proprietary operating software. At the present time, very few services are available for access by screen phones and, therefore, the cost of a screen phone cannot be justified by many prospective users. Accordingly, the installed base of screen phones is relatively small. The small installed base, in turn, limits vendors' interest in providing screen phone services.
Screen phones are in use in several areas of the world with the most successful application, known as "Minitel", being in France. These screen phones utilize a totally proprietary computer network and protocol, and have services specifically designed therefor.
An emerging communications medium called Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) combines some of the characteristics of data and voice communications networks into a single connection. ISDN permits simultaneous voice and data communications over a single ISDN line by breaking ISDN communications into two "B" channels and one "D" channel. The "D" channel is intended primarily for signalling, while the two "B" channels, which operate at much higher data rates, are intended to carry digital voice and data communications information.
Among the larger and better known data communication networks is "Internet". Internet is an outgrowth of a United States government research project (known as ARPANET, for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) begun in the 1960's. It was originally used by colleges, universities and the government for research and development purposes. It has since evolved to become a "network of networks" covering a large portion of the commercial business sector. Today, the Internet's 30 million-plus users are connected by over 45,000 public and private networks (over 4 million host computers), reaching more than 140 countries around the world.
Internet is governed by a set of standardized protocols and access procedures by which any Internet "node" (a computer connected to Internet to which a "node address" has been assigned and to/through which data communication may occur) can communicate with any other Internet node. Generally speaking, Internet users must have a computer and either direct or dial-up access to an Internet node in order to communicate via Internet. Many commercial enterprises and educational institutions, world-wide, are connected to Internet.
A dial-up connection to a data communication network operating in conjunction with a packet-voice capability can be used to provide voice and data communications across Internet. VOCALTEC is currently providing software for permitting packet voice conversations over Internet, using conventional computer sound cards and microphones for voice input and output. Two similarly equipped computers can be used to provide telephone-like conversations across Internet in this way.
As commercial data communications networks have grown, numerous general-user features have been added to make them more attractive to a wider base of users. For example, most on-line services provide information databases for accessing news and financial reports, weather forecasts, on-line shopping services, directory services (e.g., user directories) and special-interest databases (e.g., music, arts, technical, scientific, literature, reference materials, etc.).
Over the last few years, several commercial data communications networks (perhaps most notably Internet), have been employing "hypertext" which is an interconnected web of associated information throughout a network. The information can include text, images, sound and/or animation. The implementation of hypertext involves the preparation and storage in memory, with uniquely assigned addresses, of hypertext documents. A hypertext document, when referred to herein, can mean a file of data stored in computer memory and addressable, or it can mean the visible display of that data to the user on a screen, depending on the context.
Each hypertext document is written in a suitable computer language. One such language is HTML (for Hyper Text Markup Language). A thorough treatment of what HTML is and how it can be used is available in Graham, "HTML Source Book", ISBN 0471118494 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A hypertext document can be made up of data related to text, linked markup elements and anchors. The data stored in a hypertext document file is processed by a hypertext markup language interpreter, such as a "browser" program. When the browser processes the text data, that data will be used to format and display the text on a screen. A linked markup element provides the browser with an address of another stored file and an action to be taken with the data at that address. For example, a linked markup element can point to a graphical company logo. While scanning the entire document, the browser will reach the marking element, proceed to the specified address of the data associated with the logo, retrieve the data, create the graphical image and display it on the screen, all in accordance with the linked markup element. An anchor is the address of another hypertext document in the interconnected hypertext web, and a representation of that document. For example, the representation might be "on-line documents". When the browser reaches this anchor, it will display the representation on the screen as, for example, the text "on-line documents" appearing in a highlighted manner. This displayed image of the highlighted text is known as a hyperlink. Thus, a hyperlink can be considered as being the visible depiction of an anchor. The user has the option, at any time, of selecting any of the hyperlinks displayed on the screen with a suitable input device, e.g. a keyboard or mouse. When a hyperlink is selected, the browser accesses the address stored in the anchor represented by the hyperlink, retrieves the hypertext document stored at that address, and displays it on the screen. Thus, in our example, a list of documents available on line, perhaps with its own hyperlinks, will be displayed. It should be noted that the terms "hyperlinked" and "hypertext-based" are used synonymously herein.
The associated information interconnected via hyperlinks in the above-described manner is often described as a "world-wide-web". This "web", also commonly designated by "WWW", is developing in a manner which is geared to computer-based access by users who own a personal computer ("PC"). Many non-users regard access to the information in the "web" as being highly desirable. However, use of the "web" can be intimidating and uninviting to those who are relatively less computer-literate.
Expanding upon this general theme, a major problem with many data communication networks is that they are designed for computer users. Due to the cumbersome and complicated nature of many computers and communications interface devices, this usually means that the use of data communication networks requires computer-literacy. Because many potential data communication users who would otherwise find data communication network features to be useful could not be described as being computer-literate, these data-communication networks are often under-utilized.
The following terms are used in the discussion that follows:
User--one who is interested in purchasing goods/services.
Access Provider--an entity who (that) provides access to a data communication network such as Internet. Such an entity can be an on-line service such as Compuserve, a phone company, or a direct access provider, such as Netcom.
Service Provider--a vendor of goods and/or services.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,195, entitled "INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING SYSTEM FOR ONLINE TERMINALS" describes an interactive system for displaying advertising information from a remote central computer to terminals capable of displaying full motion video. Using a touch-screen, the user selects the service or goods desired. When a selection is made, and while waiting for the system to respond, a video clip of an advertisement (commercial), such as up to 15 seconds in duration, is displayed. The content of the video commercial is sent from a remote computer and loaded onto the non-volatile memory, such as hard disk, of the terminal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,340, entitled "TEXT COMMUNICATION SYSTEM", describes a communication system in which text is sent from one terminal to another, and an indication of reception by the remote terminal is generated to the sending terminal. This allows the sending terminal to attempt retransmission in case of failure to receive by the receiving terminal. The system works unattended. The system also checks that the text is received accurately.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,506, entitled "PERSONAL SERVICES TELEPHONE HANDSET AND SYSTEM" describes a telephone handset with programmable pushbuttons. The number of pushbuttons is fixed, but their function can change as the interaction with the service provider is established. Only numeral information is provided for by this technique, which is primarily directed to sending information from a user site to a remote site, rather than interactively locating information at a remote site and retrieving it for usage at the user site.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,554, entitled "INTERACTIVE TERMINAL FOR THE ACCESS OF REMOTE DATABASE INFORMATION," describes a terminal which supports retrieval of information from a remote location. It is focused on using devices commonly available in homes, such as the telephone and its keypad as an input device, and a television set as a display device. In some embodiments, a general purpose keyboard may be employed. All interaction with the remote database is accomplished through inputs from the fixed keyboard or keypad available on the telephone.
PC-based "Web Browser" programs, such as "Mosaic" and "Netscape", have become available and have seen increasing use over the past year or so. These programs are graphical user interface browsers which allow the PC user to connect into and utilize Internet's hypertext "World Wide Web". The software is installed on a PC and uses a modem to connect to an Internet service provider. Much of the functionality of these Web Browser programs relies upon the services available with the computer's operating system (e.g. Microsoft Windows). An operating system, also referred to as "OS", is a well known term used to denote a computer program which, for example, manages the hardware resources, and provides various services (such as inter-process communication, file and directory systems, data transfer over networks, and a command language for invoking and controlling programs). An OS also hides from the user the primitive facilities of the base computer, such as interrupts, status registers and device interfaces. The OS is builds its high-level services by wrapping the low-level hardware facilities in layers of software, resulting in a machine that is much easier to use than the bare hardware. Thus, the virtual machine visible to the user is only the outermost of a series of software layers refining the bare hardware. Perhaps the most influential current operating system is UNIX.
Generally speaking, widespread access to and use of online services by the general public is inhibited by several significant factors:
1) Most computer-based online services require some degree of computer literacy. Many people are quite intimidated by computers and shy away from using online services which require an understanding of modem features and perhaps a capability for installing a modem in terms of its hardware and software.
2) In order to access most online services, a computer is required. Even if the computer literacy problem is eliminated, most computers are still too expensive to be considered a commodity item by the general public, and provide more capabilities than are required just for access to online services.
3) Current screen-phone-based systems (e.g. Minitel mentioned above), which address the problems of cost and computer literacy reasonably well, fail to succeed because of the enormous infrastructure (network, software, service providers and services) required to support their function.
Evidently, there is a need for a low-cost means of providing on-line services to the general public without a need for computer literacy or a large, new infrastructure.